Editor's note: The article listed the wrong price information for the ACME Hotel Company. The hotel is offering a two-night package for $229 per night.

If you're watching your budget, don't like the hassle of taking a big trip or don't have time to get away for long, you can still get a break from cabin fever this winter. With fewer out-of-town guests booking rooms, Chicago hotels often appeal to locals during the off season with special packages and amenities perfect for an intimate getaway or a trip for the whole family. So if you're looking for a weekend away, stay local and explore what the city has to offer.

ACME Hotel Company opened in April with the goal of appealing to guests from Generation X and Y looking for something a bit hipper. The "Home Alone" Holiday Package, which runs through March 10, aims to help that audience relive their fond memories of the Macaulay Culkin film. Guests will get a shaving kit from The Art of Shaving, pizza delivery from Giordano's, skate rental at the Millennium Park Ice Skating Rink and a $50 gift card for The Shops at North Bridge.

Located near the United Center, the hotel typically does a special for hockey season, but with this year's strike they decided to try out a Basketball Fan Package through April 17, which includes a $50 credit to use in the on-site Italiasia restaurant and a 15 percent off coupon so you can pick up some memorabilia before the game at Clark Street Sports. France Langan, director of sales and marketing, said the deal has proved popular with families who like to take advantage of the indoor pool, easy access to public transportation, and Italiasia's mix of affordable and kid-friendly food like pizzas and hamburgers and finer fare like lobster risotto. Many of the guests come from Illinois, though the hotel brings in plenty of fans from Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin when their teams are in Chicago.

Since opening in November, the Kids for All Snow Season clubroom has proved hugely popular with families.

"The idea was inspired by the notion of having a staycation environment where you could have something to do with your children in the building so on a cold, blustery Chicago day you could have fun without going outdoors," said chief concierge Kristen Klus.

Open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., the converted boardroom is packed with things to keep kids happy including a kitchen play set, a movie area showing kid-friendly films and TV shows, Wii and PlayStation video game systems, foosball and air hockey tables, board games, a craft table, a bin filled with Legos and a costume box where kids can dress up as everything from Strawberry Shortcake to Darth Vader. When the weather is cold, you can also swim in the indoor pool and visit the attached shopping center.

"You literally could come for a weekend and not leave the building," Klus said.

Foodies will appreciate The Michael Jordan Steakcation, which lets guests try three dining spots during their stay.

"A lot of couples come in for the weekend to enjoy the city," said Dan Egan, director of sales and marketing. "This is a way to see what the hotel has to offer."

The package includes a $100 credit at Michael Jordan's Steak House, breakfast for two at The Continental and wine, cheese and chocolate at ENO, where you can warm up by the wine bar's new fireplace. In addition to some tasty memories, you'll also take home a bottle of Michael Jordan's BBQ Sauce.

If you're not traveling to wine country, the Wine Ambassador Weekend is the next best thing. Available through March 1, the weekend package starts with a tasting of three wines paired with six mini-portions of dishes waiting for guests in their room on a mat that tells the story of the wines. Your education continues with a progressive tasting with food pairings in the hotel's lounge led by their chief wine ambassador.

"It's a little bit more instructional," said chef Michael Reich. "We talk you through it. We taste it. We take notes about it."

The next day, guests take a test to become certified wine ambassadors, made much more fun than your typical exam by more food and wine. Then, there's a four-course dinner at the Florentine with wine pairings from the resident sommelier.

The historic hotel began appealing to guests with kids with the introduction of The Peacock Club this summer. Kids receive a backpack at check-in with a coloring book and crayons, a travel journal and an underwater camera, with a rubber duck, dinosaurs that grow in water, a stuffed peacock and a kid-sized bathrobe and slippers waiting in the room. They can watch a movie in the pool during Friday Splash Screenings and order from a kids menu at Lockwood.

All ages can come along for the History is Hott presentation and tour, which explores the beginnings of Chicago, the lives of the hotel's founders and the guests that have stayed there over the decades. Priced at $55, it includes a three-course lunch and wine at Lockwood.

"It's a very comprehensive but fun look at history," said Ken Price, the hotel's resident historian.

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